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Revision as of 14:35, 24 November 2025

Welcome to Voices in the Dust––a living, community archive for action supporting current and future activists in the fight against coal dust pollution and for environmental justice in Southeast Newport News and Lambert's Point, Norfolk. Voices in the Dust is a work in progress.

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Timeline of Key Events in Coal Dust Activism

1880s

1881: The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) was extended from Richmond to Newport News to transport coal mined in West Virginia to reach the harbor of Hampton Roads.
1883: The first railcar loaded with bituminous coal arrived in Norfolk via the Norfolk & Western Railway (now Norfolk Southern).
1886: The train tracks were extended to the coal piers near Lambert's Point.

1920s

1927: The Newport News Daily Press describes the use of sprinklers to "minimize damage and discomfort arising from large quantities of coal dust in the air."^[1]

1950s

1954: The Garden-Shores Civic League write a letter to the City of Newport News complaining about coal dust pollution believed to be "uncombusted coal blown from the railways' two coal dumping piers."^[2]
1956: The City of Newport News hires a chemical engineering firm to measure the amount of coal in airborne particles, who find that at least in one location 45% of airborne dust was coal.^[3]^[4]
1956: This air monitoring study prompts the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Railroad Company to install equipment to create a water fog over the coal piers to suppress dust^[4] and led the Newport News City Council to pass an air pollution ordinance.^[5]

1970s

Jessie Rattley, the first Black mayor of Newport News, and other local leaders have discussions around coal dust mitigation.
Linwood DeBrew and community members begin organizing around coal dust pollution issues.

1980s

The City of Newport News overturns its air pollution ordinance.
The first recorded complaint from Lambert's Point, Norfolk.
Daily Press: A leading activist for coal dust mitigation in the 1980s, Mrs. Louise Bazemore is photographed displaying the coal dust she cleaned from inside her Ridley Circle home.^[6]
Community activism in Southeast Newport News and residents' complaints to Virginia Air Pollution Control Board (APCB) led the APCB to conduct additional research on the factors that influenced coal dust emissions and develop a wet suppression approach that was more effective.
1987: This research was published in the report: Control of Fugitive Emissions from Open Coal Storage in Newport News, Virginia.

1990s

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VA DEQ) is formally established in In 1990, with coal dust regulation becoming a priority issue.
Representative Dick Cranwell sponsors a bill requiring Norfolk Southern to report air quality and coal dust emissions.
The 1993 RISE, Inc. v. Kay lawsuit challenges a landfill siting in King and Queen County citing environmental racism, further shaping the conversation around environmental justice in Virginia.

2000s

The Southeast Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) Coalition, then led by Dr. Erica Holloman, Linwood DeBrew, and Angela Harris, intensifies organizing efforts around coal dust pollution and environmental racism in Southeast Newport News.
In 2002, the Southeast CARE Coalition formally pushes for investigations into the health impacts of coal dust, collaborating with the U.S. EPA.

2010s

The Southeast CARE Coalition and U.S. EPA report is released: A Collaborative Effort to Assess Environmental Health in Newport News, Virginia
Increased activism in Lambert's Point under the slogan Cover the Coal, led by New Virginia Majority and the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, and supported by academic researchers like Dr. Anna Jeng from Old Dominion University, highlights the need for stronger air quality monitoring and regulatory measures.
Planning grants are secured to explore coal dust solutions; coal dust-related petitions are circulated.

2020s

In 2020, the Virginia Environmental Justice Act is passed, with the state government committing to integrate environmental justice principles into decision-making.
The VA DEQ secures funding for the Tidewater Air Monitoring Evaluation (TAME) to track coal dust levels in Southeast Newport News and Lambert's Point in 2020, with data collection yet to start.
The Repair Lab Coal Dust Kills effort begins interviewing residents affected by coal dust pollution in Southeast Newport News and Lambert's Point, monitoring ambient dust concentrations, and sampling dust inside residents home to identify evidence of coal dust exposure.
In 2024, Adrian Wood releases Crosswinds, a multi-episode podcast exploring the coal dust issues through the friendship of local activists, Lathaniel Kirts and Malcolm Jones.
The Repair Lab and African American History Society of Newport News begin work on a digital archive documenting decades of coal dust activism and environmental justice efforts in Virginia.

History

Evidence

Testimonials

Research

Actors

Regulatory Agencies

Government Bodies

Community and Activist Organizations

East End Coalition
Empower All
New Virginia Majority
Repair Lab
Sierra Club Virginia Chapter
Southeast CARE Coalition

Industries

Solutions

Policy

Organizing

Activism Outside of Hampton Roads
- Oakland, CA
- Baltimore, MD
Campaigns and Initiatives in Hampton Roads
Community Events

About Voices in the Dust and Getting Started

Voices in the Dust
Get Involved
Editing the Archive: Style Guide for Voices In The Dust
Creating Your Own Archive

References

↑ Railroads of Port Adopt Coal Sprinkle: Growing Demand for Sprinkled Coal Said to Be Made by Trans-Shippers, Daily Press, November 23, 1927.
↑ Newport News to Analyze Smoke and Soot Nuisance in Garden-Shores Sector, Daily Press, April 4, 1954.
↑ Council, Daily Press, December 4, 1956.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 C&O to Install Costly Equipment for Control of Air Pollution in NN, Daily Press, December 12, 1956.
↑ Council Gets Air Pollution Control Plan, Daily Press, December 18, 1956.
↑ Murry, Coal Dust Causes Concern (Continued from Page C1), Daily Press, January 27, 1985.

[1] Railroads of Port Adopt Coal Sprinkle: Growing Demand for Sprinkled Coal Said to Be Made by Trans-Shippers, Daily Press, November 23, 1927.

[2] Newport News to Analyze Smoke and Soot Nuisance in Garden-Shores Sector, Daily Press, April 4, 1954.

[3] Council, Daily Press, December 4, 1956.

[:0-4] 4.0 ^4.1 C&O to Install Costly Equipment for Control of Air Pollution in NN, Daily Press, December 12, 1956.

[5] Council Gets Air Pollution Control Plan, Daily Press, December 18, 1956.

[6] Murry, Coal Dust Causes Concern (Continued from Page C1), Daily Press, January 27, 1985.

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@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 === 1980s ===
-* The City of Newport News overturns its air pollution ordinance.[[File:Daily Press January 27 1985.png|alt=Mrs. Bazemore shows coal dust she cleaned from the inside of her Ridley Circle home in Murry, Coal Dust Causes Concern, Daily Press, January 27, 1985.|thumb|''Daily Press'': A leading activist for coal dust mitigation in the 1980s, Mrs. Louise Bazemore is photographed displaying the coal dust she cleaned from inside her Ridley Circle home.<ref>Murry, [[:File:Daily Press 1985 01 27 Page 5.pdf|Coal Dust Causes Concern ]][https://voicesinthedust.org/File:Daily_Press_1985_01_27_Page_5.pdf (Continued from Page C1)], ''Daily Press'', January 27, 1985.</ref>]]
+* The City of Newport News overturns its air pollution ordinance.
+* The first recorded [[Coal dust complaints|complaint]] from Lambert's Point, Norfolk.[[File:Daily Press January 27 1985.png|alt=Mrs. Bazemore shows coal dust she cleaned from the inside of her Ridley Circle home in Murry, Coal Dust Causes Concern, Daily Press, January 27, 1985.|thumb|''Daily Press'': A leading activist for coal dust mitigation in the 1980s, Mrs. Louise Bazemore is photographed displaying the coal dust she cleaned from inside her Ridley Circle home.<ref>Murry, [[:File:Daily Press 1985 01 27 Page 5.pdf|Coal Dust Causes Concern ]][https://voicesinthedust.org/File:Daily_Press_1985_01_27_Page_5.pdf (Continued from Page C1)], ''Daily Press'', January 27, 1985.</ref>]]
 * Community activism in [[Southeast Newport News]] and [[Coal dust complaints|residents' complaints]] to [[Virginia Air Pollution Control Board|Virginia Air Pollution Control Board (APCB)]] led the [[Virginia Air Pollution Control Board|APCB]] to conduct additional research on the factors that influenced coal dust emissions and develop a wet suppression approach that was more effective.
-* The first recorded [[Coal dust complaints|complaint]] from Lambert's Point, Norfolk.
+* '''1987:''' This research was published in the report: [[:File:Coal Study-January 1987 21391318.pdf|Control of Fugitive Emissions from Open Coal Storage in Newport News, Virginia]].
-* [[Chemical dust suppression: water sprinklers and chemical sealants|Dust suppressing sprinkler systems]] are installed at [[Companies: railroads, terminals, and coal|coal terminals]] in response to community concerns.
-* The [[Virginia Air Pollution Control Board]] begins monitoring airborne [[Particulate matter and coal dust|coal dust]] and takes initial steps to regulate [[Particulate matter and coal dust|coal dust]] emissions.
 === 1990s ===